Skipton 沈むs lower with a new betrayal

By This Is Money
Updated: 09:25 BST, 31 January 2010

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相互の 財政上の organisations such as building societies and friendly societies have a long tradition of 存在 消費者-焦点（を合わせる）d and this has stood most of them in good stead for more than 100 years.

They also have a 評判 for looking after those who work for them.

Strangely, Skipton Building Society has decided to steer a different course.

A week ago, it 確認するd it would be ripping up a 保証（人） made to more than 64,000 mortgage borrowers that should have meant their 返済s would never be more than three 百分率 points above the base 率 once they come off a special 取引，協定 and go on to Skipton's '基準 variable 率'.

Using a 条項 tucked away in its mortgage 条件, the 天井 will be 除去するd from the start of March, resulting in its SVR 狙撃 up from 3.5% to 4.95% (5.2% for those who do not 支払う／賃金 by direct debit).

This has infuriated mortgage 仲買人s who sold Skipton's 貸付金 on the understanding that the 保証（人） was watertight. It has also 怒り／怒るd 顧客s, many of whom would like to see Skipton challenged in 法廷，裁判所.

Skipton has now decided to go one step その上の by 発表するing that 90 of its 1,270 staff are at '危険 of redundancy' 予定 to a 商売／仕事 再編成.

財政上の Mail 持続するs Skipton's abandoning of its SVR 保証（人） is indefensible and should not have been given the green light by the 財政上の Services 当局. We also believe the 職業 削減（する）s are inexcusable.

Although all 財政上の organisations must be run efficiently, this is a 商売／仕事 that at the beginning of last year 許すd its 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある John Goodfellow to retire with a £781,000 leaving 現在の - 構成するing £385,000 of salary and 利益s, £259,000 in 尊敬（する）・点 of his 早期に 退職 and £137,000 'in consideration of his entering into 確かな 制限する covenants'.

As if this wasn't enough, Goodfellow was 許すd to accrue 利益s in the society's final salary 年金 計画／陰謀 for another year after his 出口 from the boss's seat.

The icing on the cake was Skipton's 決定／判定勝ち（する） to waive any 早期に 退職 刑罰，罰則s 適用するing to his 年金, enabling him to 接近 his £2m-加える 年金 マリファナ from earlier this month.

So, here we have an organisation that is やめる happy to fleece its 顧客s and throw upstanding members of its 全労働人口 out on the street while feathering the nests of its cosseted (n)役員／(a)執行力のあるs.

To cap it all, on Friday Skipton 確認するd it had made a serious data 保護 失敗, jeopardising the 安全 of more than 3,000 savers' accounts. Apart from 飛行機で行くing in the 直面する of everything 相互のs are meant to stand for, it all leaves a 汚い taste in the mouth.

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One of the main 推論する／理由s why Skipton has had to 溝へはまらせる／不時着する mortgage 約束s and 解雇（する） staff - apart from 基金ing Goodfellow's 退職 - is its crazy 決定／判定勝ち（する） 早期に last year to acquire Scarborough, a building society riddled with 財政上の problems as a result of its illadvised accumulation of mortgage 調書をとる／予約するs of 疑わしい 質 from 商売／仕事s such as GMAC-RFC, part of international 財政上の services group GMAC 財政上の Services.

Let's hope then that Yorkshire's 引き継ぎ／買収 of Chelsea does not result in the new 連合させるd 相互の 押し進めるing up 基準 variable 率s for borrowers to fill any unforeseen 黒人／ボイコット 穴を開ける in Chelsea's 財政／金融s.

For the 記録，記録的な／記録する, Yorkshire's SVR 現在／一般に stands at 4.99% while Chelsea's is higher at 5.79%. Although neither society has ever 約束d a Skipton-like 率 保証（人）, it would be wrong of Iain Cornish, boss of the 連合させるd 相互の, to 押し進める up these 率s while the base 率 remains at 0.5% - 特に as members of both organisations have been led to believe that the 合併 will be in their best 利益／興味s.

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Not for a 世代 has it been いっそう少なく profitable to save money - even though the awful 経済的な 背景 叫び声をあげるs out for 世帯s to do 正確に／まさに that.

The laughable 0.1% 利益／興味 存在 paid on most 貯金 accounts remains a 広大な／多数の／重要な 妨害 to the 貯金 habit.

によれば 貯金 巨大（な） ING Direct, th e result is that the typical 世帯 now has a cash reserve 同等（の） to only 1.7 months' take-home 支払う／賃金. 専門家s say the 衝撃を和らげるもの should be nearer to six months' 支払う／賃金.

In light of this it is not surprising that 圧力団体 Save Our Savers has 現れるd to （問題を）取り上げる the mantle of savers and shout for a fairer 利益／興味 取引，協定. Learn more about the group's 目的（とする）s by visiting saveoursavers.co.uk.